The illusion of Life - Disney Animation PDF

The illusion of Life - Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston - pdf book

This book is widely acknowledged as the bible of animation written by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnsto best known as two of "Disney's Nine old men" (core animators who later became directors).

Written by the ultimate Disney insiders, this "bible" of animation has become a legend in itself. This volume seeks to explain the process that makes Disney's animation unique--what sets the work of the Disney studios apart from other animation products.Here are original sketches of best-loved Disney characters, how memorable movie sequences were made, and anecdotes about working with Walt. Full-color throughout.

The book contains a total of 489 colourfull plates, and hundreds of b&w illustrations, which range from storyboard sketched to animation sequences, which were all obviously used to illustrate Disney's styled animation. There is even a little passage which expresses the philosophy of Disney animators, called "12 basic principles of animation":
1) Squash and strech
2)Anticipation
3)Staging
4)Straight ahead action and pose to pose
5)Follow through and overlapping action
6)slow in and slow out
7)arcs
8)secondary action
9)timing
10)exaggeration
11)solid drawing
12)appeal

The name "illusion of life" was created by Hamilton Luske in the 1930's, since disney cartoons had looked far more like moving drawings, but for the upcoming future films the studio felt a need to increase realism in their animations. Therefore, through a heavy study and research of movement of the human body and artistic drawing, Disney animators managed to grip a set of rules that made their figures appear more life-like.
Unlike Tex Avery's cartoons (Warner brothers) which depended more on surreal humor, Disney aimed for a style that was rooted in reality and yet emphasized by exaggeration.